Public Goods

What are public goods? How might they affect your business?

The concept of public goods is becoming increasingly important in national and international legislation and could affect any business that may have an impact on the environment. So what are public goods and why do you need to know about them? The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (2011) describes a public good as “a good or service in which the benefit received by any one party does not diminish the availability of the benefits to others, and where access to the good cannot be restricted”. Public goods encompass other terms you may have encountered such as biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural capital and could include a whole host of benefits such as clean air, a good view or healthy soils.

This module is aimed at: policy makers, knowledge exchange professionals, any business that has an impact on the environment.